End of July To-Dos

Nancy DeBrule wrote in her Natureworks email newsletter today about plants that host beneficial insects with their nectar:

Shasta daises, black eyed Susans, Stokesias, Heliopsis and Helianthus (perennial sunflower), Coreopsis, Echinacea...the list goes on and on. Simply by incorporating them into your landscape you will help your habitat to thrive.

I'm happy to report that I have many of those plants in my garden:

Nancy also recommends deadleafing right now at the end of July:

Now THERE'S a term you may have never heard of before! You have probably heard of deadheading, but deadleafing? Go outside and look at a clump of your daylilies or bearded irises. What do you see? You see lots of brown and yellow leaves. Removing those leaves is called deadleafing! It is a great way to groom your garden AND it will help prevent disease issues. 

Here are mine deadleafed: daylilies, iris,  hardy geranium and coreopsis:

I call it "finger combing"

in the day lilies.

Iris traditionally trimmed in a fan cut.

A little seaweed fertilizer and 

they might bloom again!

While some plants are all green, waiting

to have enough energy to bloom again,

some of the day lilies

will still be full of bloom

into August.

The work and the enjoyment never stop

this time of year in the garden.